JP6734954B1 - connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector which allows a mating connector to rotate while maintaining a fitted state. A housing 12 of a connector 10 accommodates a main holding member 22, a first terminal 26, and a second terminal 30. The main holding member 22 is rotatable with respect to the rotation axis with respect to the housing 12 and the second terminal 30 in a state of being housed in the housing 12. When the connector 10 and the mating connector 50 are fitted to each other, the main holding member 22 partially receives the mating holding member 54 and restricts rotation of the main holding member 22 with respect to the rotation shaft. The first terminal 26 is held by the main holding member 22 and moves in the rotation direction as the main holding member 22 rotates. The first contact portion 266 of the first terminal 26 contacts the mating contact portion 52, and the second contact portion 280 contacts the third contact portion 320 of the second terminal 30. Since the third contact portion 320 is annular, the second contact portion 280 can maintain contact with the third contact portion 320 even when the first terminal 26 moves in the rotation direction. [Selection diagram] Fig. 5

Description

The present invention relates to a connector, and more particularly to a connector that allows a mating connector to rotate with respect to the connector when the mating connector is mated.

2. Description of the Related Art A connector is known that allows rotation of a mating connector in a mated state in which the mating connector is fitted. This type of connector is described in Patent Document 1, for example.

The coaxial connector device (connector) 95 of Patent Document 1 (see FIG. 30) corresponds to the mating coaxial connector device (mate connector) 90 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 29, the counterpart coaxial connector device 90 includes a cylindrical center contact 901 and an annular outer contact 903. The center contact 901 and the outer contact 903 are arranged such that their center axes coincide with each other.

As shown in FIG. 30, the coaxial connector device 95 corresponds to the pair of curved elastic arm portions 951 corresponding to the center contact 901 of the counterpart coaxial connector device 90 and the outer contact 903 of the counterpart coaxial connector device 90. And an annular fitting portion 953.

As understood from FIGS. 29 and 30, when the coaxial connector device 95 and the mating coaxial connector device 90 are fitted to each other, the curved elastic arm 951 of the coaxial connector device 95 is located at the center of the mating coaxial connector device 90. Contact the contact 901. Further, the annular fitting portion 953 of the coaxial connector device 95 contacts the outer contact 903 of the mating coaxial connector device 90. The curved elastic arm 951 maintains contact with the center contact 901 even if the center contact 901 rotates about its center axis. Similarly, the annular mating portion 953 maintains contact with the outer contact 903 as the outer contact 903 rotates about its central axis. In this way, the coaxial connector device 95 allows rotation of the mating coaxial connector device 90 with respect to the central axis while maintaining the fitted state with the mating coaxial connector device 90.

JP, 2013-58417, A

In the coaxial connector device 95 of Patent Document 1, the counterpart coaxial connector device 90 is required to have a cylindrical center contact 901 and a ring-shaped outer contact 903, and the center axes of these should match (coaxial structure). And However, even with respect to a connector that fits with a mating connector that does not have a coaxial structure, it may be required to allow the mating connector to rotate while maintaining the mated state.

An object of the present invention is to provide a more versatile connector that allows the mating connector to rotate while maintaining the fitted state.

The present invention is, as the first connector, a connector that can be fitted into and removed from a mating connector along a fitting direction,
The connector includes a housing, a holding member, a first terminal, and a second terminal,
The housing houses the holding member, the first terminal, and the second terminal inside thereof,
The holding member is rotatable with respect to the housing and the second terminal about an axis along the fitting direction in a state of being accommodated in the housing.
When the connector and the mating connector are fitted to each other, the holding member at least partially receives the mating holding member of the mating connector and rotates the mating holding member with respect to the holding member with respect to the shaft. To limit
The holding member holds the first terminal,
The first terminal moves in a rotation direction around the shaft as the holding member rotates,
The first terminal has at least one first contact portion and at least one second contact portion,
The first contact portion contacts the mating contact portion of the mating connector when the connector is fitted to the mating connector.
The second terminal has a closed ring-shaped or open ring-shaped third contact portion around the shaft,
The second contact part provides a connector that contacts the third contact part.

The present invention also provides, as the second connector, the first connector,
The first terminal has a held portion, at least one first elastic support portion, and at least one second elastic support portion,
The holding member includes a holding portion,
The held portion is held by the holding portion,
At least one of the first elastic support portions corresponds to at least one of the first contact portions,
At least one of the second elastic support portions corresponds to at least one of the second contact portions,
The first elastic support portion extends from the held portion and supports the corresponding first contact portion,
The second elastic support portion extends from the held portion to provide a connector supporting the corresponding second contact portion.

The present invention also provides, as the third connector, the second connector,
A connector in which a direction in which the first elastic support portion extends and a direction in which the second elastic support portion extend intersects each other.

The present invention also provides, as a fourth connector, a second or third connector,
The number of at least one of the second contact portions is plural,
The plurality of second contact portions are respectively supported by the plurality of second elastic support portions,
The plurality of second elastic support portions are divided into at least two sets,
In the rotational direction, at least the two sets of the second elastic support parts provide connectors extending in opposite directions from the held part.

The present invention also provides, as the fifth connector, any one of the second to fourth connectors,
The held portion is provided with a limited portion,
The holding member is provided with a limiting portion,
The limiting portion limits movement of the limited portion with respect to the holding member in the rotation direction,
The second elastic support portion provides a connector extending from the restricted portion.

The present invention also provides, as a sixth connector, a fifth connector,
The held portion has a main portion and crank portions provided at both ends of the main portion in the rotation direction,
The holding member is provided with a crank portion accommodating portion that at least partially accommodates the crank portion,
The crank portion serves as the limited portion,
The crank portion accommodating portion functions as the limiting portion,
The first elastic support portion extends from the main portion,
The second elastic support portion provides a connector extending from the crank portion.

The present invention also provides, as a seventh connector, any one of the first to sixth connectors,
The second terminal has a cylindrical portion centered on the axis,
The third contact portion provides a connector provided inside the cylindrical portion.

The present invention also provides, as an eighth connector, a seventh connector,
The holding member has a cylindrical portion holding portion that holds the cylindrical portion rotatably around the shaft,
The cylindrical portion holding portion is provided with a contact portion accommodating portion that accommodates the second contact portion,
One end in the fitting direction of the cylindrical portion is provided with an inner annular protrusion that protrudes toward the inside of the cylindrical portion,
The inner annular protrusion provides a connector that at least partially covers the contact portion accommodating portion in the vertical direction.

The present invention also provides, as a ninth connector, an eighth connector,
An outer annular protrusion that protrudes toward the outside of the cylindrical portion is provided at the other one end of the cylindrical portion in the fitting direction,
The outer annular protrusion provides a connector used as an external connection.

The present invention also provides, as a tenth connector, any one of the first to ninth connectors,
At least one of the first terminal and the second terminal provides a connector made of a single metal plate.

The present invention also provides, as an eleventh connector, any one of the first to tenth connectors,
Provided is a connector including a plurality of sets of connector main parts, with the holding member, the first terminal, and the second terminal as one set of connector main parts.

The present invention also provides, as a twelfth connector, an eleventh connector,
As a plurality of sets of the connector main part, a first connector main part and a second connector main part are provided,
The holding member of the first connector main portion and the holding member of the second connector main portion are formed as a single holding member,
The first terminal of the first connector main portion and the first terminal of the second connector main portion are arranged point-symmetrically with respect to a point on the axis,
The second terminal of the first connector main portion and the second terminal of the second connector main portion are arranged in plane symmetry with respect to a plane orthogonal to the fitting direction and passing through the points,
The first connector main part and the second connector main part provide a connector housed in the housing.

The present invention also provides, as a thirteenth connector, an eleventh connector,
As a plurality of sets of the connector main part, a first connector main part and a second connector main part are provided,
The connector further includes a connecting portion,
The first connector main part and the second connector main part are arranged such that the axis of the first connector main part and the axis of the second connector main part are parallel to each other,
The second terminal of the first connector main portion and the second terminal of the second connector main portion are connected to each other by the connecting portion,
The first connector main part, the second connector main part and the connecting part provide a connector housed in the housing.

The present invention also provides, as a 14th connector, a 13th connector,
Provided is a connector in which the second terminal of the first connector main part, the second terminal of the second connector main part, and the connecting part are made of one metal plate.

The present invention also provides, as a first connector assembly,
A connector assembly including any one of the first to fourteenth connectors and the mating connector.

The present invention also provides, as the second connector assembly, the first connector assembly,
The mating holding member is located on both sides of the mating contact portion in a circumferential direction that intersects the fitting direction and is orthogonal to the radial direction, and is outside the mating contact portion in the radial direction. A connector assembly is provided, which is provided with a protruding portion that protrudes inward.

Furthermore, the present invention provides a second connector assembly as a third connector assembly,
Provided is a connector assembly in which the mating holding member is provided with a plurality of mating contact portions, and the projecting portions are arranged on both sides of each mating contact portion.

When the connector mates with the mating connector, the retaining member at least partially receives the mating connector and limits rotation of the mating connector relative to the connector. However, since the holding member is rotatable with respect to the housing, the mating connector is rotatable with respect to the housing.

On the other hand, when the connector is fitted with the mating connector, the first contact portion of the first terminal contacts the mating contact portion of the mating connector. The second contact portion of the first terminal maintains contact with the third contact portion of the second terminal regardless of movement of the first terminal due to rotation of the holding member. In this way, the connector maintains the connection with the mating connector when fitted to the mating connector.

As described above, the connector of the present invention allows the mating connector to rotate while maintaining the mated state (connection state) in which the mating connector is fitted.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a connector assembly including the connector according to the first embodiment of the present invention and a mating connector that can be fitted into the connector. The connector and the mating connector are not fitted together. When each of the mating connectors is rotated by 90 degrees with respect to the rotation axis, the mating connector is brought into a matable state with the connector. It is a top view which shows the other party connector contained in the connector assembly of FIG. It is a side view which shows the other party connector of FIG. It is another side view which shows the other party connector of FIG. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a connector included in the connector assembly of FIG. 1. It is a perspective view which shows the connector of FIG. The first portion of the housing has been removed. It is a top view which shows the connector of FIG. FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line AA showing the connector of FIG. 7. It is a front view which shows the connector of FIG. FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line BB showing the connector of FIG. 9. The part surrounded by the broken line D is enlarged and drawn. It is CC sectional view taken on the line which shows the connector of FIG. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a main holding member included in the connector of FIG. 6 and a first terminal held by the main holding member. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a connector main part and a connecting part included in the connector of FIG. 6. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing one of the first terminals shown in FIG. 12. FIG. 15 is another perspective view showing the first terminal of FIG. 14. FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing one of the second terminals shown in FIG. 13. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the connector by the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 18 is an exploded perspective view showing a connector main part and a connecting part included in the connector of FIG. 17. It is a top view which shows the connector of FIG. It is the EE sectional view taken on the line which shows the connector of FIG. The housing has been removed. The portion surrounded by the broken line F is enlarged and drawn. FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing one of the first terminals included in the connector of FIG. 17. FIG. 22 is another perspective view showing the first terminal of FIG. 21. It is an exploded perspective view showing a connector by a 3rd embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 24 is an exploded perspective view showing a connector main part and a connecting part included in the connector of FIG. 23. It is a top view which shows the connector of FIG. It is the GG sectional view taken on the line of the connector of FIG. The housing has been removed. The portion surrounded by the broken line H is enlarged and drawn. FIG. 24 is a perspective view showing one of the first terminals included in the connector of FIG. 23. FIG. 28 is another perspective view showing the first terminal of FIG. 27. It is a perspective view which shows the other party coaxial connector apparatus disclosed by patent document 1. FIG. 6 is a bottom view showing the coaxial connector device disclosed in Patent Document 1.

(First embodiment)
Referring to FIG. 1, a connector 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention is a connector that can be fitted into and removed from two mating connectors 50 along a fitting direction. In particular, the connector 10 is a relay connector that connects the mating connectors 50 to each other. The connector 10 constitutes a connector assembly together with the mating connector 50. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The connector 10 may be configured to be able to be fitted in and removed from the single mating connector 50 along the fitting direction. Alternatively, the connector 10 may be configured to be able to be fitted in and removed from three or more mating connectors 50 along the fitting direction. In this embodiment, the fitting direction is the Z direction.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, each of the mating connectors 50 includes a plurality of mating contact portions 52 and a mating holding member 54 that holds the mating contact portions 52. In the present embodiment, there are two mating contact portions 52. Further, in the present embodiment, the lead wires 56 are connected to the counterpart contact portions 52, respectively. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The mating connector 50 may include at least one mating contact portion 52 and a mating holding member 54 that holds the mating contact portion 52.

As understood from the drawings from FIG. 2 to FIG. 4, each of the counterpart holding members 54 has a substantially cylindrical upper portion 540 and a lower portion 542 extending in the vertical direction. The size of the upper portion 540 of the counterpart holding member 54 is smaller than the size of the lower portion 542 in the radial direction orthogonal to the vertical direction. In the present embodiment, the mating holding member 54 is integrally formed with the mating contact portion 52 using an insulating resin. Further, in the present embodiment, the vertical direction is the Z direction that coincides with the fitting direction, the +Z direction is the upper side, and the −Z direction is the lower side.

As shown in FIG. 2, the upper portion 540 of the counterpart holding member 54 is formed with three protrusions 544, 544, 546 that project outward in the radial direction and extend in the vertical direction. The three protrusions 544, 544, 546 are arranged at unequal intervals in the circumferential direction that intersects the vertical direction and is orthogonal to the radial direction. These protrusions 544, 544, 546 prevent erroneous fitting with the connector 10. Two protrusions 544 of the protrusions 544, 544, 546 correspond to the mating contact portion 52, respectively. The protrusions 544 corresponding to the mating contact portions 52 project in mutually opposite directions in the radial direction.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, each of the mating contact portions 52 extends from the upper end portion of the upper portion 540 of the mating holding member 54 to the central portion in the vertical direction. In the present embodiment, the mating contact portion 52 is made of a thin metal plate.

As can be understood from the drawings of FIGS. 2 to 4, side protrusions (protrusions) 550, which are a part of the protrusions 544, are located on both sides of each of the mating contact portions 52 in the circumferential direction. doing. Further, in the circumferential direction, between the side projections 550, an intermediate projection 552 which is another part of the projection 544 is provided so as to divide the mating contact portion 52 into two in the circumferential direction.

As shown in FIG. 2, the side protrusions 550 and the intermediate protrusions 552 project outward from the mating contact portion 52 in the radial direction.

As understood from FIGS. 3 and 4, the mating contact portion 52 can be visually observed from the outside in the radial direction. In other words, the mating contact portion 52 can come into contact with the mating connector 50 from the outside in the radial direction. However, the presence of the side protrusions 550 and the intermediate protrusions 552 limits the size of an object that can contact the mating contact portion 52. The intermediate protrusion 552 is for adjusting this size, and is provided as needed. In other words, the intermediate protrusion 552 may be omitted or a plurality of intermediate protrusions 552 may be provided. For example, when the connector 10 is a large-sized connector for large current, the electric shock can be prevented by providing the intermediate protrusion 552 so that the finger does not touch the mating contact portion 52. In the present embodiment, the circumferential distance between each of the side protrusions 550 and the intermediate protrusion 552 is determined by the first contact portion 266 (see FIGS. 14 and 15) of the first terminal 26 (see FIGS. 14 and 15) described later. (See FIG. 15). That is, the distance between each of the side protrusions 550 and the intermediate protrusion 552 is determined so that the first contact portion 266 of the first terminal 26 can contact the mating contact portion 52. By doing so, when the connector 10 (see FIG. 1) is fitted to the mating connector 50 (see FIG. 1), the first contact portion 266 can contact the mating contact portion 52.

Referring to FIG. 5, the connector 10 includes a housing 12 and a plurality of connector bodies 14. In this embodiment, the housing 12 includes a first portion 120 and a second portion 122. Further, in this embodiment, the number of connector bodies 14 is two. The connector 10 also includes two connecting portions 16 that connect the connector bodies 14 to each other. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The number of connector bodies 14 is determined according to the number of mating connectors 50 (see FIG. 1). The connecting portion 16 is provided according to the application of the connector 10 and is not essential.

As shown in FIG. 5, each of the connector main bodies 14 has an upper holding member 20, a main holding member (holding member) 22, a lower holding member 24, at least one first terminal 26, and at least one first holding member. And two terminals 30. In the present embodiment, each connector body 14 has two first terminals 26 and two second terminals 30. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The number of the first terminals 26 and the number of the second terminals 30 are determined in accordance with the number of the mating contact portions 52 (see FIG. 2) of the mating connector 50 (see FIG. 1).

As understood from FIGS. 5, 12 and 13, each of the main holding members 22 holds two first terminals 26 and two second terminals 30. The main holding member 22 has a central axis along the vertical direction. The main holding member 22 is formed so as to have the same shape even when turned upside down. In other words, the upper half 220 and the lower half 222 of the main holding member 22 have the same inverted shape. The upper half 220 of the main holding member 22 and the first terminal 26 and the second terminal 30 held by the main holding member 22 form a set of connector main parts 40. Further, the lower half 222 of the main holding member 22 and the first terminal 26 and the second terminal 30 held by the main holding member 22 constitute another set of connector main parts 40. As described above, in the present embodiment, each of the connector main bodies 14 includes a plurality of sets of connector main portions 40. In the present embodiment, each connector body 14 includes two sets of connector main parts 40. Therefore, the connector 10 includes four sets of connector main parts 40.

With reference to FIG. 5, FIG. 6, FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, among the four connector main parts 40, attention is paid to the two connector main parts 40 included in the same connector main body 14. When one of the focused two connector main parts 40 is called a first connector main part and the other one is called a second connector main part, the main holding member 22 includes the first terminal 26 and the second terminal of the first connector main part. It functions as a holding member that holds 30 and also functions as a holding member that holds the first terminal 26 and the second terminal 30 of the second connector main part. In other words, the main holding member 22 is formed as a single holding member (main holding member 22) that functions as a holding member for the first connector main part and a holding member for the second connector main part. Further, the first terminal 26 of the main part of the first connector and the first terminal 26 of the main part of the second connector are arranged point-symmetrically with respect to the center point of the main holding member 22. The second terminal 30 of the first connector main part and the second terminal 30 of the second connector main part are arranged in plane symmetry with respect to a plane orthogonal to the fitting direction and passing through the center point of the main holding member 22. .. The first connector main part and the second connector main part are housed in the housing 12.

With reference to FIG. 5, FIG. 6, FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, among the four connector main parts 40, attention is paid to two connector main parts 40 included in different connector main bodies 14. When one of the focused two connector main parts 40 is called a first connector main part and the remaining one connector main part is called a second connector main part, the first connector main part and the second connector main part are The center axis of the first connector main part and the center axis of the second connector main part are arranged to be parallel to each other. The second terminal 30 of the first connector main portion and the second terminal 30 of the second connector main portion are connected to each other by the connecting portion 16. The first connector main portion, the second connector main portion, and the connecting portion 16 are housed in the housing 12.

As can be seen from FIG. 5, each of the upper holding member 20, the main holding member 22, and the lower holding member 24 is formed by vertically stacking a plurality of cylindrical portions having different diameters so that their central axes coincide with each other. It has a unique shape. As understood from the drawings from FIG. 5 to FIG. 8, the upper holding member 20, the main holding member 22, and the lower holding member 24 are vertically stacked so that their central axes coincide with each other, and the terminal holder 18 is attached. Constitute. The outer shape of the terminal holder 18 is rotationally symmetrical. The terminal holder 18 is housed in the housing 12 together with the first terminal 26 and the second terminal 30. However, a part of the lower holding member 24 is not housed in the housing 12. In other words, the housing 12 houses the terminal holder 18, the first terminal 26, and the second terminal 30 except for a part of the lower holding member 24. The terminal holder 18 is rotatable with respect to the housing 12 and the second terminal 30 about an axis (rotational axis) along the fitting direction in a state of being accommodated in the housing 12. The rotation axis substantially coincides with the central axes of the upper holding member 20, the main holding member 22, and the lower holding member 24.

As understood from FIG. 12, the first terminal 26 is held immovably with respect to the main holding member 22. Therefore, the first terminal 26 held by the main holding member 22 moves in the rotation direction around the rotation axis as the main holding member 22 rotates about the rotation axis. On the other hand, the second terminal 30 (see FIG. 13) is movably held with respect to the main holding member 22. Therefore, the second terminal 30 is rotatable with respect to the main holding member 22 about the rotation axis.

As can be understood from the drawings from FIG. 9 to FIG. 11, the main holding member 22 and the lower holding member 24 are provided with grooves 180 and 182 corresponding to the protrusions 544 and 546 of the mating connector 50 inside thereof, respectively. ing. The same applies to the upper holding member 20. Each of the upper holding member 20, the main holding member 22, and the lower holding member 24 at least partially receives the mating holding member 54 when the connector 10 is fitted to the mating connector 50. Due to the interaction between the grooves 180, 182 and the protrusions 544, 546, each of the upper holding member 20, the main holding member 22, and the lower holding member 24 limits the rotation of the mating connector 50 with respect to the rotation axis. Thus, the rotation of the mating connector 50 (see FIG. 1) with respect to the terminal holder 18 is restricted. However, the upper holding member 20, the main holding member 22, and the lower holding member 24 are rotatable with respect to the housing 12. Therefore, in the connector 10 (see FIG. 5 ), rotation of the mating connector 50 with respect to the housing 12 about the rotation axis is allowed.

14 and 15, each of the first terminals 26 is made of a single metal plate. The first terminal 26 includes a held portion 260, a plurality of first contact portions 266, a plurality of first elastic support portions 27 that elastically support the first contact portions 266, a plurality of second contact portions 280, A plurality of second elastic support portions 290 that elastically support the second contact portions 280 are provided. In the present embodiment, the number of first contact portions 266 is two and the number of second contact portions 280 is four. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The first terminal 26 may have at least one first contact portion 266 and at least one second contact portion 280. Further, the first terminal 26 includes at least one first elastic support portion 27 corresponding to at least one first contact portion 266 and at least one second elastic support portion corresponding to at least one second contact portion 280. It suffices to have the section 290.

As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the held portion 260 of the first terminal 26 has a rectangular main portion 262 and crank portions 264 provided at both ends of the main portion 262 in the rotational direction. There is.

As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, each of the first elastic support portions 27 of the first terminal 26 is composed of six portions 271 to 276. The first portion 271 extends downward from the main portion 262 of the held portion 260. The second portion 272 extends radially inward while extending downward from one end of the first portion 271. The third portion 273 extends downward from one end of the second portion 272. The fourth portion 274 is bent upward from one end of the third portion 273, extends upward, and extends radially inward. The fifth portion 275 extends upward from one end of the fourth portion 274 and also extends radially outward. The sixth portion 276 extends upward from one end of the fifth portion 275 and is connected to the sixth portion 276 of the other first elastic support portion 27. However, the sixth portion 276 may not be connected to the sixth portion 276 of the other first elastic support portion 27. The boundary between the fourth portion 274 and the fifth portion 275 and its periphery act as the first contact portion 266. In this way, each of the first elastic support portions 27 extends from the held portion 260 and supports the corresponding first contact portion 266.

As can be seen from FIGS. 14 and 15, each of the second elastic support portions 290 extends in a direction intersecting the direction (vertical direction) in which the first elastic support portion 27 extends from the held portion 260. Specifically, the second elastic support portion 290 extends from the crank portion 264 of the held portion 260 to the outside in the rotation direction. In the present embodiment, the plurality of second elastic support portions 290 are divided into two sets, and the two sets of second elastic support portions 290 extend in opposite directions from the held portion 260 in the rotation direction. .. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The plurality of second elastic support portions 290 may be divided into three or more sets. The tip of the second elastic support portion 290 is curved, and this tip serves as the second contact portion 280. As described above, each of the second elastic support portions 290 extends from the held portion 260 and supports the corresponding second contact portion 280.

Referring to FIG. 16, each of the second terminals 30 has a cylindrical portion 32 having a central axis that coincides with the rotation axis. An inner annular protrusion 322 that protrudes toward the inside of the cylindrical portion 32 is provided at one end of the cylindrical portion 32 in the vertical direction. An outer annular protrusion 324 that protrudes outward of the cylindrical portion 32 is provided at the other end of the cylindrical portion 32 in the fitting direction. The outer annular protrusion 324 serves as a conductive portion 324 extending from the inner surface 320 of the cylindrical portion 32 to the outside of the cylindrical portion 32. In the present embodiment, the conductive portion 324 is connected to the connecting portion 16. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The conductive portion 324 may be used to connect the connector 10 to the outside. In any case, the conductive portion 324 is used as an external connection portion that connects the second terminal 30 to something other than the first terminal 26 .

As shown in FIG. 16, in the present embodiment, the two second terminals 30 are connected to each other via the connecting portion 16. Specifically, the connecting portion 16 connects the outer annular protrusions 324 of the two second terminals 30 to each other. In the present embodiment, the two second terminals 30 and the connecting portion 16 connecting them are made of a single metal plate. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The two second terminals 30 may be formed as separate bodies.

Referring again to FIG. 12, the main holding member 22 includes a first terminal holding portion (holding portion) 230 and a second terminal holding portion (cylindrical portion holding portion) 238 at the upper portion and the lower portion thereof, respectively. There is. The first terminal holding portion 230 is used to hold the first terminal 26, and the second terminal holding portion 238 is used to hold the second terminal 30. Specifically, the second terminal holding portion 238 is an annular wall portion that is inserted inside the cylindrical portion 32 of the second terminal 30. The first terminal holding portion 230 includes a main portion housing portion 232 and a crank portion housing portion 234 provided on the wall portion of the second terminal holding portion 238. The main part accommodating part 232 and the crank part accommodating part 234 form a retained part accommodating part (accommodating part) that accommodates the retained part 260 of the first terminal 26. The held portion housing portion has an opening 236 that opens to one side in the fitting direction. The main-portion storage portion 232 stores the main portion 262 of the first terminal 26. The main portion 262 of the first terminal 26 is inserted into the main portion housing portion 232 through the opening 236. At this time, the crank part 264 of the first terminal 26 is housed in the crank part housing part 234. Further, the second contact portion 280 and the second elastic support portion 290 of the first terminal 26 are housed in the contact portion housing portion 237 of the main holding member 22. The contact portion accommodating portion 237 is a concave portion formed in the wall portion forming the second terminal holding portion 238. In this way, the held portion 260 of the first terminal 26 is held by the first terminal holding portion 230 of the main holding member 22. Further, as understood from FIG. 13, the second terminal holding portion 238 is inserted inside the cylindrical portion 32 of the second terminal 30 and holds the second terminal 30. The cylindrical portion 32 and the inner annular protruding portion 322 of the second terminal 30 at least partially cover the contact portion accommodating portion 237 (see FIG. 12 ). In particular, as understood from FIG. 11, in the state where the second terminal 30 is held by the second terminal holding portion 238, the inner annular protrusion 322 partially moves the contact portion housing portion 237 from above in the vertical direction. Covering. Specifically, the inner annular protrusion 322 covers the contact portion housing portion 237 so that at least the base portion of the second elastic support portion 290 (see FIG. 10) and the second contact portion 280 (see FIG. 10) are hidden. This prevents the first terminal 26 from falling off the first terminal holding portion 230.

As can be understood from FIG. 10, since the crank portion 264 of the first terminal 26 is accommodated in the crank portion accommodating portion 234, the movement of the first terminal 26 in the rotation direction with respect to the main holding member 22 is restricted. At this time, the crank portion 264 partially acts as a limited portion, and the crank portion housing portion 234 partially acts as a limiting portion that limits the movement of the crank portion 264. As described above, the held portion 260 of the first terminal 26 is provided with the limited portion, and the main holding member 22 is provided with the limited portion.

As shown in FIG. 10, the second contact portion 280 of the first terminal 26 held by the main holding member 22 contacts the inner surface 320 of the cylindrical portion 32 of the second terminal 30 held by the same main holding member 22. To do. The inner surface 320 of the second terminal 30 serves as the third contact portion 320 that contacts the second contact portion 280. In this way, the third contact portion 320 is provided inside the cylindrical portion 32 of the second terminal 30. In the present embodiment, the third contact portion 320 has a closed annular shape, but the present invention is not limited to this. The third contact portion 320 may have an open annular shape. In other words, the cylindrical portion 32 of the second terminal 30 may not be a perfect cylinder but may be a part of the cylinder.

As understood from FIGS. 1, 5 and 10, when the connector 10 and the mating connector 50 are fitted to each other, the mating contact portion 52 and the first contact portion 266 of the first terminal 26 come into contact with each other. At this time, the second contact portion 280 of the first terminal 26 is in contact with the third contact portion 320 of the second terminal 30. When the mating connector 50 rotates about the rotation axis with respect to the connector 10, the terminal holder 18 also rotates about the rotation axis with respect to the housing 12. With the rotation of the terminal holder 18, the first terminal 26 moves in the rotation direction. At this time, the second contact portion 280 of the first terminal 26 moves in the rotation direction while being in contact with the inner surface 320 of the second terminal 30. That is, even if the mating connector 50 rotates with respect to the connector 10, the connection between the connector 10 and the mating connector 50 is maintained.

As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, in the first terminal 26, the first elastic support portion 27 and the second elastic support portion 290 have different shapes. In other words, the spring characteristics of the first elastic support portion 27 and the second elastic support portion 290 are different from each other. Specifically, the first elastic support portion 27 is formed to be relatively hard, and the first contact portion 266 can be firmly brought into contact with the mating contact portion 52. On the other hand, the second elastic support portion 290 is formed to be relatively soft, and while maintaining contact between the second contact portion 280 and the third contact portion 320, movement of the first terminal 26, that is, rotation of the main holding member 22. Makes it easy. Thus, in the connector 10 according to the present embodiment, the first elastic support portion 27 that supports the first contact portion 266 and the second elastic support portion 290 that supports the second contact portion 280 are separately formed. It achieves both connection reliability and ease of rotation.

As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the extending direction of the first elastic support portion 27 and the extending direction of the second elastic support portion 290 intersect each other. More specifically, as understood from FIG. 5, the extending direction of the first elastic support portion 27 is substantially along the fitting direction, and the extending direction of the second elastic support portion 290 is substantially along the rotation direction. With this configuration, the stress applied to the first terminal 26 when the connector 10 is fitted to the mating connector 50 (see FIG. 1) and the stress applied to the first terminal 26 when the main holding member 22 rotates are separated. be able to. As a result, unexpected deformation of the first terminal 26 can be prevented.

As described above, the connector 10 according to the present embodiment allows the mating connector 50 to rotate with respect to the rotation axis while maintaining the connection with the mating connector 50 when fitted to the mating connector 50.

Moreover, according to the connector 10 of the present embodiment, the mating connector 50 does not require a structure that makes both connection and rotation compatible. Therefore, in consideration of manufacturing variations of the connector 10 and the mating connector 50, which are separate from each other, the connector 10 can be compared to a case where both the connector 10 and the mating connector 50 are provided with a structure that makes both connection and rotation compatible. , It is easy to ensure the reliability of the connection with the mating connector 50.

(Second embodiment)
Referring to FIG. 17, the connector 10A according to the second embodiment of the present invention has a configuration similar to that of the connector 10 according to the first embodiment (see FIG. 5). However, the shape of the first terminal 26A of the connector 10A is different from the shape of the first terminal 26 of the connector 10 according to the first embodiment. The shapes of the upper holding member 20A, the main holding member 22A, and the lower holding member 24A are slightly changed according to the shape of the first terminal 26A. The other configurations are the same as the configurations of the connector 10 according to the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, the first terminal 26A includes a second contact portion 280A and a second elastic support portion 290A that supports the second contact portion 280A. The second elastic support portion 290A extends radially outward from the upper edge of the held portion 260A and then extends downward. The second contact portion 280A is provided near the tip of the second elastic support portion 290A. In the present embodiment, the second contact portion 280A is a protrusion formed on the metal plate forming the first terminal 26A. The second contact portion 280A projects toward the held portion 260A.

As can be understood from the drawings of FIGS. 18 to 20, the held portion 260A and the second contact portion 280A of the first terminal 26A are disposed between the cylindrical portion 32 of the second terminal 30 and the main holding member 22A. The second terminal holding portion 238A is sandwiched. As a result, the second contact portion 280A contacts the outer surface 326 of the cylindrical portion 32 of the second terminal 30.

As understood from FIGS. 18 and 20, the first terminal 26A is held by the first terminal holding portion 230A of the main holding member 22A. When the main holding member 22A rotates about the rotation axis, the first terminal 26A moves in the rotation direction about the rotation axis. At this time, the second contact portion 280A of the first terminal 26A moves on the outer surface 326 of the second terminal 30. Therefore, even if the main holding member 22A rotates, the connection between the first terminal 26A and the second terminal 30 is maintained. In this way, the connector 10A of the present embodiment allows the mating connector 50 (see FIGS. 2 to 4) to rotate while allowing the mating connector 50 to rotate with respect to the connector 10A with respect to the rotation axis. In addition, in the connector 10A according to the present embodiment, the configurations of the first terminal 26A and the main holding member 22A are simplified as compared with the configurations of the first terminal 26 and the main holding member 22 in the first connector 10.

(Third Embodiment)
Referring to FIG. 23, the connector 10B according to the third embodiment of the present invention has a configuration similar to that of the connector 10 (see FIG. 5) according to the first embodiment. However, the shapes of the first terminal 26B and the second terminal 30B of the connector 10B are different from the shapes of the first terminal 26 and the second terminal 30 of the connector 10 according to the first embodiment. The shapes of the upper holding member 20B, the main holding member 22B, and the lower holding member 24B are also changed according to the shapes of the first terminal 26B and the second terminal 30B. The other configurations are the same as the configurations of the connector 10 according to the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 27 and 28, the first terminal 26B includes two pairs of second contact portions 280B, second elastic support portions 290B that support them, and a clip support portion 292. The clip support portion 292 extends in an S shape from the held portion 260B. The two pairs of second elastic support portions 290B extend in opposite directions from the clip support portion 292. The second contact portions 280B supported by the second elastic support portions 290B of each pair oppose each other in the vertical direction.

As shown in FIGS. 23 and 24, the second terminal 30B is an annular flat plate. The two second terminals 30B are connected to each other by the connecting portion 16. In other words, the outer peripheral portion of the second terminal 30B acts as an external connecting portion connected to the connecting portion 16. As understood from the drawings of FIGS. 24 to 26, the second contact portions 280B of each pair of the first terminals 26B sandwich the second terminals 30B in the vertical direction. As a result, the second contact portions 280B of each pair come into contact with the upper surface and the lower surface of the second terminal 30B, respectively. Thus, the upper surface and the lower surface of the second terminal 30B act as the third contact portion.

As understood from FIGS. 24 and 26, the first terminal 26B is held by the first terminal holding portion 230B of the main holding member 22B. When the main holding member 22B rotates about the rotation axis, the first terminal 26B moves in the rotation direction about the rotation axis. At this time, each of the second contact portions 280B of the first terminal 26B moves on the upper surface or the lower surface of the second terminal 30B. Therefore, even if the main holding member 22B rotates, the connection between the first terminal 26B and the second terminal 30B is maintained. In this way, the connector 10B of the present embodiment allows the mating connector 50 (see FIGS. 2 to 4) to rotate while allowing the mating connector 50 to rotate with respect to the rotation axis of the mating connector 50 relative to the connector 10B. In addition, in the connector 10B according to the present embodiment, the configuration of the second terminal 30B is simplified as compared with the configuration of the second terminal 30 in the first connector 10. Further, in the connector 10B according to the present embodiment, the second contact portion 280B of the first terminal 26B sandwiches the second terminal 30B and contacts the upper and lower surfaces of the second terminal 30B, so that stable contact can be realized. ..

Although the present invention has been specifically described above with reference to the embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made. For example, in the above embodiment, the terminal holder 18 (18A, 18B) is composed of three holding members, but it may be composed of one or two holding members.

10, 10A, 10B Connector 12 Housing 120 First part 122 Second part 14, 14A, 14B Connector body 16 Connecting part 18, 18A, 18B Terminal holder 180, 182 Groove 20, 20A, 20B Upper holding member 22, 22A, 22B Main holding member (holding member)
220 upper half 222 lower half 230, 230A, 230B first terminal holding portion (holding portion)
232 Main part accommodation part (accommodation part)
234 Crank part accommodation part (accommodation part, restriction part)
236 Opening portion 237 Contact portion housing portion 238, 238A, 238B Second terminal holding portion (cylindrical portion holding portion)
24, 24A, 24B Lower holding member 26, 26A, 26B First terminal 260, 260A, 260B Held portion 262 Main portion 264 Crank portion (limited portion)
266 1st contact part 27 1st elastic support part 271 1st part 272 2nd part 273 3rd part 274 4th part 275 5th part 276 6th part 280,280A,280B 2nd contact part 290,290A,290Bth. 2 Elastic Support Part 292 Clip Support Part 30, 30B Second Terminal 32 Cylindrical Part 320 Inner Surface (Third Contact Part)
322 Inner annular protrusion 324 Outer annular protrusion (conductive portion, external connection portion)
326 outer surface (third contact portion)
40 Connector essential part 50 Counterpart connector 52 Counterpart contact part 54 Counterpart holding member 540 Upper part 542 Lower part 544, 546 Protrusion part 550 Side part protrusion 552 Intermediate protrusion 56 Lead wire

Claims (15)

A connector that can be mated with and removed from the mating connector along the mating direction,
The connector includes a housing, a holding member, a first terminal, and a second terminal,
The housing houses the holding member, the first terminal, and the second terminal inside thereof,
The holding member is rotatable with respect to the housing and the second terminal about an axis along the fitting direction in a state of being accommodated in the housing.
When the connector and the mating connector are fitted to each other, the holding member at least partially receives the mating holding member of the mating connector, and rotates the mating holding member with respect to the holding member with respect to the shaft. To limit
The holding member holds the first terminal,
The first terminal moves in a rotation direction around the shaft as the holding member rotates,
The first terminal has at least one first contact portion and at least one second contact portion,
The first contact portion contacts the mating contact portion of the mating connector when the connector is fitted to the mating connector.
The second terminal has a closed ring-shaped or open ring-shaped third contact portion around the shaft,
The second contact portion contacts the third contact portion ,
The holding member has a cylindrical shape, and the first contact portion faces the inside of the holding member . A connector that can be mated with and removed from the mating connector along the mating direction,
The connector includes a housing, a holding member, a first terminal, and a second terminal,
The housing houses the holding member, the first terminal, and the second terminal inside thereof,
The holding member is rotatable with respect to the housing and the second terminal about an axis along the fitting direction in a state of being accommodated in the housing.
When the connector and the mating connector are fitted to each other, the holding member at least partially receives the mating holding member of the mating connector, and rotates the mating holding member with respect to the holding member with respect to the shaft. To limit
The holding member holds the first terminal,
The first terminal moves in a rotation direction around the shaft as the holding member rotates,
The first terminal has at least one first contact portion and at least one second contact portion,
The first contact portion contacts the mating contact portion of the mating connector when the connector is fitted to the mating connector.
The second terminal has a closed ring-shaped or open ring-shaped third contact portion around the shaft,
The second contact portion contacts the third contact portion ,
The second terminal has a cylindrical portion centered on the axis,
The third contact portion is provided inside the cylindrical portion,
The holding member has a cylindrical portion holding portion that holds the cylindrical portion rotatably around the shaft,
The cylindrical portion holding portion is provided with a contact portion accommodating portion that accommodates the second contact portion,
One end in the fitting direction of the cylindrical portion is provided with an inner annular protrusion that protrudes toward the inside of the cylindrical portion,
The inner annular protrusion covers at least part of the contact portion accommodating portion in the vertical direction . The connector according to claim 1 or claim 2 ,
The first terminal has a held portion, at least one first elastic support portion, and at least one second elastic support portion,
The holding member includes a holding portion,
The held portion is held by the holding portion,
At least one of the first elastic support portions corresponds to at least one of the first contact portions,
At least one of the second elastic support portions corresponds to at least one of the second contact portions,
The first elastic support portion extends from the held portion and supports the corresponding first contact portion,
The second elastic support portion extends from the held portion and supports the corresponding second contact portion. The connector according to claim 3 , wherein
A connector in which a direction in which the first elastic support portion extends and a direction in which the second elastic support portion extends intersect with each other. The connector according to claim 3 or 4 , wherein
The number of at least one of the second contact portions is plural,
The plurality of second contact portions are respectively supported by the plurality of second elastic support portions,
The plurality of second elastic support portions are divided into at least two sets,
In the rotation direction, at least the two sets of the second elastic support portions extend in opposite directions from the held portion. The connector according to any one of claims 3 to 5 ,
The held portion is provided with a limited portion,
The holding member is provided with a limiting portion,
The limiting portion limits movement of the limited portion with respect to the holding member in the rotation direction,
The second elastic support portion is a connector extending from the limited portion. The connector according to claim 6 , wherein
The held portion has a main portion and crank portions provided at both ends of the main portion in the rotation direction,
The holding member is provided with a crank portion accommodating portion that at least partially accommodates the crank portion,
The crank portion serves as the limited portion,
The crank portion accommodating portion functions as the limiting portion,
The first elastic support portion extends from the main portion,
The second elastic support portion is a connector extending from the crank portion. The connector according to claim 1 , wherein
The second terminal has a cylindrical portion centered on the axis,
The third contact portion is a connector provided inside the cylindrical portion. The connector according to claim 8 , wherein
The holding member has a cylindrical portion holding portion that holds the cylindrical portion rotatably around the shaft,
The cylindrical portion holding portion is provided with a contact portion accommodating portion that accommodates the second contact portion,
One end in the fitting direction of the cylindrical portion is provided with an inner annular protrusion that protrudes toward the inside of the cylindrical portion,
The inner annular protrusion is a connector that at least partially covers the contact portion accommodating portion in the vertical direction. The connector according to claim 2 or claim 9 ,
An outer annular protrusion that protrudes toward the outside of the cylindrical portion is provided at the other one end of the cylindrical portion in the fitting direction,
The outer annular protrusion is a connector used as an external connection portion of the second terminal. The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 10 ,
At least one of the first terminal and the second terminal is a connector made of a single metal plate. The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 11 ,
A connector comprising a plurality of sets of connector main parts, with the holding member, the first terminal, and the second terminal as one set of connector main parts. The connector according to claim 12 ,
As a plurality of sets of the connector main part, a first connector main part and a second connector main part are provided,
The holding member of the first connector main portion and the holding member of the second connector main portion are formed as a single holding member,
The first terminal of the first connector main portion and the first terminal of the second connector main portion are arranged point-symmetrically with respect to a point on the axis,
The second terminal of the first connector main portion and the second terminal of the second connector main portion are arranged in plane symmetry with respect to a plane orthogonal to the fitting direction and passing through the points,
The first connector main part and the second connector main part are connectors housed in the housing. The connector according to claim 12 ,
As a plurality of sets of the connector main part, a first connector main part and a second connector main part are provided,
The connector further includes a connecting portion,
Wherein the first connector main portion and the second connector main part, the shaft and are arranged so as to be parallel to each other about said axis and the second connector main part relating to the first connector main part,
The second terminal of the first connector main portion and the second terminal of the second connector main portion are connected to each other by the connecting portion,
A connector in which the first connector main part, the second connector main part, and the connecting part are housed in the housing. The connector according to claim 14 , wherein
A connector in which the second terminal of the first connector main part, the second terminal of the second connector main part, and the connecting part are composed of a single metal plate.

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